A/N: I strongly advise everyone to listen to the track, Born a stranger from the "To the Moon" OST for the majority of this chapter, especially during the scene with Jounouchi and Mai. That soundtrack was incredibly inspiring.
Chapter Thirty-One, Love, Domino style
There was a commotion as all of the dancers gathered their things and bid farewell to each other. Ryou collected the sheet music from the piano and politely nodded to the directors of the recital. His eyes, however, instantly moved to Anzu. She was chatting to one of the other dancers and after a moment, the girl waved and left Anzu. Almost immediately after she was out of sight, her bright face seemed to fall and she began to concentrate on gathering her things. Ryou's brow furrowed worriedly as he watched her. It had been several weeks since Yami had left Domino and he ought to have returned by now. He knew that Anzu was worried, but he wouldn't admit that he, too, was somewhat concerned about their friend. Malik had scarce been heard from and all that Kaiba could say when Ryou inquired was that he hadn't heard any negative news from his informants in Europe. For Kaiba, that meant a simple delay had kept Yami from arriving on time. Nonetheless, it made Ryou uneasy.
"You're doing really well, Anzu," Ryou told her in a cheerful tone, approaching her. She smiled at him.
"Thanks, Ryou...I think the directors are getting a little suspicious about Yami's lengthy disappearance, though. Have we still not heard from him at all?"
"No, we usually don't," he reluctantly admitted, feeling a pang at seeing her crestfallen expression. "Cheer up, Anzu," he patted her on the back, "he's probably just gotten caught up in a few things. He'll be along soon." He gave her a bright smile that she returned weakly. "Let's get going." She nodded.
The two of them left the opera house, both absorbed in their thoughts. Ryou would feel more comfortable with Malik in Domino with them, especially with this strange delay of Yami's. Even more, he wished that Malik had been with him when he had been speaking to Kaiba. Kaiba had been deliberately holding information from him and while he had known it, he had hesitated; part of him had been unsure as to whether he really wanted to know what information it was that Kaiba was hiding from him. Malik would have dived right into it, with no regard to what type of news the businessman might deliver. Ryou was having a hard enough time not confessing his fears to Anzu and if he had been given any additional information, he had a feeling he might spill it to her out of pity.
As he was considering this, his phone abruptly began to vibrate in his pocket. Frowning, he dug into his pocket, pulling it out and answering, "Hello?"
"About fucking time you answered, I've been calling you all night," Malik spat on the other line. Ryou's frown deepened irritably at the foul tone. As he opened his mouth to correct him on his attitude, Malik continued on ruthlessly, "How the hell am I supposed to keep in contact like you oh-so-kindly requested last I spoke to you when you won't even answer your phone? Are you alone?"
"No, I'm with Anzu. We just finished her recital."
"Well, move away from her, if you can."
Ryou grimaced and glanced to see Anzu peering at him curiously. "Alright. One moment." He lowered the phone and dug in his pocket again, pulling out his keys. "Anzu, will you go ahead and start the car? I don't think you want to hear this conversation. Malik's being a bit of a pig and is getting himself in trouble with women again."
"I'm not surprised," was Anzu's dry remark. She took the keys and walked ahead of him to where his car was parked.
Ryou watched her a moment and then sighed, saying, "Alright, Malik, what is it? It had better be good, making me lie to her."
"Yes, because I'm overjoyed to hear you call me a pig and have her agree," Malik replied darkly. "Listen, Yami's going to be in town tonight. Kaiba just called me to let me know, but he's in bad shape. He's had a rough time. He wanted me to call you to let you know."
"What happened?"
"We're not entirely sure. I can't do shit over here, but you need to try and keep Anzu company. I don't want her worrying too much about him, but we also don't want anyone knowing that he's in town yet. He had a hard time keeping any sense of normalcy after his first trip into France and according to what Kaiba told me, Yami had no choice but to take out a few people while he was there. I'm uneasy about the situation and Kaiba is, as well. There shouldn't have been any way of anyone knowing his exact places, but it seemed that they were a step behind him the entire time. He got fucked every way he turned. It's not a good situation."
"Is he alright?"
"I'm not sure. Everything I told you is all that Kaiba told me. And, surprise, surprise, that's all Yami shared with him."
"This isn't good...I hope he was wise enough to shake them off before he returned."
"Of course," Malik snapped irritably. "That's what took him so long. He ended up going off on a totally different direction than the one that Kaiba set him up on because it was clear that they had somehow already known of that path that Kaiba had made for him, so he spent the last two weeks trying to do unscheduled concerts and then booking it out of whatever town he was in. But listen, don't stay on the phone too long, I don't want Anzu suspicious. Keep her safe and happy, though."
"This would be a lot easier if you were here," Ryou told him fretfully.
"Man up, for fuck's sake! I can't be there to hold your hand all the time." At that, Malik hung up, leaving Ryou with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. It was one thing to do as Malik said, but an entirely other to actually be able to do it. Keeping Anzu safe was easy enough, but happy? Ryou doubted that he would be able to ease her mind about that without lying. He had never been a very good liar and wasn't about to make a habit of it. Tucking his phone in his pocket, he drew in a deep breath and then sighed before stepping towards the car. He opened the driver's door and settled in. Anzu was seated in the passenger seat and was texting someone. She smiled at him as he settled beside her.
"Is everything okay?" she queried.
"Of course," Ryou laughed, buckling his seatbelt. "You know how Malik is, causing trouble for himself left and right. He really could take a few pointers from me." He could feel her eyes on him, but determinedly kept his eyes forward.
After he had dropped her off, she bade him farewell and went up to her apartment. It seemed far too quiet and oppressive in her apartment and as Jounouchi had urged her to come over, she packed an overnight bag and hurried out of her apartment, paying very little time in it. As she drove to his apartment, she couldn't help but recall Ryou's strange behavior. Unbeknownst to him, she had been watching him in the rearview mirror, talking to Malik. His expression had suggested far more than simple women troubles. Somehow, she knew that he was lying to her, yet she couldn't understand why unless it concerned Yami. She had tried not to become too worried over him with his extended absence, but she sensed that there was something amiss and Ryou's tense expression while talking to Malik had suggested she may have been correct in her assumption. Even when he had entered the car, his body had been strung tight and his laugh was forceful. She knew that he was trying to make her feel comfortable, but his behavior only alarmed her.
With a deep sigh, Anzu parked at the apartments where Jounouchi lived and got out the car. Just as she was getting out, she saw a familiar blonde walking across the parking lot with a child in tow. "Mai!" Anzu called, waving. The female paused, looking around curiously before she spotted Anzu and waved back. Anzu grabbed her bag and after locking her doors, ran to meet her. "Are you dropping Rena off?" she asked.
"Yes, I didn't know you would be staying over." She nodded to the bag. "Your man hasn't come back yet, huh?"
"He's not my man!" Anzu sputtered, blushing in embarrassment. Mai had a doubtful smirk on her lips, but Rena began to tug on her arm insistently.
"Come on, I'd better get her to Jounouchi, she's getting impatient." Anzu nodded and followed her up to the apartment, thankful for the change in topic. However, she sensed a reluctance in Mai's step and wondered how she had been handling her conversations with Jounouchi after her time with Malik. She knew that Mai was an open book as far as her relationship was concerned, but when it came to Malik, she quickly averted the topic, as if discussing him was off limits. Anzu knew that it couldn't possibly be because there was an emotions involved, as both parties had made it apparent that no such thing was present, but she did wonder whether there hadn't been some personal discussions between them. If so, Anzu hoped that it had done more good for Mai than any harm. Seeing as how she hadn't gotten any word from either Mai or Jounouchi about a particularly bad encounter, she assumed that all had been well for the past few weeks. "But really, Anzu, you and Yami haven't discussed that?" Mai asked, continuing their conversation as if Rena hadn't interrupted. Inwardly, Anzu cursed at her luck.
"Not exactly...before he left, he told me that I was the only one he wanted." She smiled, turning her eyes to the ground as she recalled his soft words when he had been speaking to her. "It was...really sweet. But we didn't define anything. We just...I don't know."
"But you kissed him after the auditions," Mai pointed out as they moved up the stairs to the Katsuya's apartment. "In front of your dad, no less. Don't you think that makes it kind of obvious where you two stand?"
"I don't want to go around calling him my 'man' until he's told me, flat out, what he wants," Anzu explained, shifting her bag on her shoulder uncomfortably as she recalled the kiss that Mai was referring to. Yami hadn't complained or said anything contrary – in fact, he appeared quite pleased – but she was afraid of pressuring him into doing something that he didn't want to do or rather, wasn't ready to do. She knew him well enough by now to know that he was hesitant, especially in matters of relationships.
"Well, he'd better figure it out when he gets back," Mai stated in her blunt, matter-of-fact way of speaking.
They paused in front of an apartment door and Mai knocked briskly on it. There was a moment's pause before it swung open, revealing a beaming Jounouchi. His smile faltered the slightest bit at seeing Mai, but he quickly covered it by saying, "Geez, all these girls on my step, you'd think I was a millionaire or something." He knelt down and picked up Rena, who giggled in delight, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. "Er, are you going to come in for a minute, Mai?"
"No, I'm just dropping her off," she answered, raising her hand with Rena's bag. Anzu darted a look between the two and cleared her throat, taking Rena's bag.
"Let me take her inside," Anzu suggested, flashing a quick smile. She took Rena from him and stepped inside.
Jounouchi joined Mai outside, shutting the door behind him. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, wondering at what Anzu had been thinking leaving the two of them alone. He slanted a look towards her beneath his thick fringe and saw that she had her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive position, one that he had become accustomed to seeing. He had been walking on eggshells when talking to her lately, the only reason they had been able to have somewhat amicable exchanges. He cleared his throat and dropped his hand, preparing to say something and then she surprised him, reaching out and laying her hand on his arm.
"It's alright," she told him, smiling slightly. "You don't have to say anything. Go inside with Rena. I'm tired, anyway." She withdrew her hand and waved, turning from him and walking towards the stairs. For a moment, he considered calling her back, but realized he really didn't have anything to say. Frustrated, he rubbed his face violently. When he dropped his hand, he saw that she had halted, but hadn't turned around. After a moment, she turned and then blinked at seeing him standing there, staring at her. "Jounouchi..." She hesitated and he was reminded of how frail Mai was behind her tough exterior. She flaunted and used her beauty as a barrier between her and others, but when he had pursued her, he had sensed the shy girl behind her confidence and just then, he caught a glimpse of it once again. "Anzu and Yami have a great thing going on, don't you think?"
"Uh...yeah," he admitted after a confused pause. "It's really awesome. I'm happy for her – and him. He seems like the kind of guy that hasn't had the chance to have a girl like Anzu."
"No," she agreed, appearing thoughtful. A corner of her mouth tilted upward and then she laughed, tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's a once in a lifetime thing that happens, Jounouchi...finding someone that really clicks with you, y'know? It's...it's not something that anyone should let go, regardless of the circumstances. Those kind of instances...you really can't just move on from them. It's like fate." She smiled at him and then gave a brief laugh again. "I know. It's stupid. But that's what I think. Anyway, see you." She raised a hand and then hurried away before he was given a chance to respond. He stared blankly at where she had been standing, processing what she had said.
She knows me so well, he thought, dragging his fingers through his hair restlessly. It had always been like that when they were together. Mai hated having serious conversations as much as Jounouchi and would usually toss a few lines out before work, kiss him, and run to her car before he was given a chance to process and reply. It often worked better than a long, drawn out conversation. He would have time to think about it, get angry, and then calm down and by the time she was home from work, the worst part – the part they both dreaded – was over and it was just another small conversation that would end only a few seconds after it had started. Jounouchi also knew too well what it meant for Mai to dredge up those words for him, to show that bit of weakness and hope to him.
Jounouchi stepped towards the balcony of the apartment, leaning his forearms against it and peering down in the parking lot. He smiled when Mai appeared in the parking lot, jogging a bit to get to her car. Perhaps she felt his gaze on him, because she slowed and then looked back. Jounouchi raised a hand in greeting and even from that far away, he could see a genuine smile spread across her face as she waved back. She disappeared from his view as she rounded a corner and his smile slid from his lips. Even though the offer had been hesitant and uncertain and even though he knew that it had been vague in context and it would be a rough road, it gave him hope. Jounouchi was a fairly impatient man and even though he knew it was impossible, he wanted to run down to her and gather her in his arms and cry simply from missing her.
But can I forgive her? he wondered. He thought of the tense conversations, the many irrational fights, and the agony that he constantly saw on her face when their gaze met. She had been in as much pain as he had and that, alone, was enough for him to accept that simply being without him had done its damage on her. Jounouchi closed his eyes, rubbing his face once again, but leaving his hand covering his mouth.
"Jounouchi?" Startled, he straightened and turned around to see Anzu standing behind him, a worried look on her face. "Is...everything okay?"
"Yeah, I've just got a lot to think about. Don't worry about it." He smiled and reached out, patting her on the arm. He passed her to go inside and paused at the door, glancing behind him. Anzu wasn't looking at him, but out at the parking lot as he had been a moment ago. "Hey, you gonna come in?"
"Yeah...," she answered faintly and then turned to smile at him. "Yeah, I'm coming." As soon as Jounouchi's back was turned, however, her smile fell as she wondered, Where are you, Yami?
X
Mai was lost in her own thoughts as she drove home that night. She knew that it had been foolish to allow her that small bit of giddiness to enter her stomach when she had spotted Jounouchi watching her. She even felt foolish for throwing that statement out for him. She recalled several times where she would toss too-serious remarks to him and then vanish. She was sure that he hadn't forgotten that. He remembered far too many other things from their time together to forget that. She only wondered what he was going to do with that information. Additionally, she wondered if she had been wise in following the advice that had caused her to do such a thing.
"Do you love him?"
Mai turned her head to look at Malik, who was lying next to her, playing with a lock of her hair idly. His tone had remained casual, but his stare was intense. Mai met his gaze without flinching, considering over the question. A corner of her his mouth tilted upward and she was sure it was for the same reason such an expression crossed his face, so unaccustomed to independent women facing him. "Yes," she said at last. "I do. He's the only man that I've ever felt this strongly about. I regret hurting him...it was stupid and irrational. I would never betray him that way again..."
"He acts pretty fucking stupid if you ask me," Malik remarked, dropping the lock of hair and falling back on the pillows.
"He does," she admitted, "but that's part of what I love about him." He glanced at her, raising a skeptical eyebrow. She ignored this, continuing, "There was never a moment of boredom with Jounouchi." She laughed, smiling to herself. "I remember when we first started seeing each other...I thought he was such an idiot. But he was persistent. I loved the banter we exchanged. His face would get red whenever I insulted him, but he bounced right back and nothing stopped him from wanting to go out with me. It was mad. No guy had ever tried that hard. And when we were married...it was like a dream. We argued sometimes, but we always ended up laughing about it that very night. He always tried to please me and I always tried to make him laugh. It was never one-sided. All those years...and we always had so much fun together. It was like a never ending carnival." Mai fell silent, a ghost of a smile on her lips. She sighed, raising a hand and looking at the bare wedding finger. "But...a carnival has to end sometime, I suppose."
"No," Malik said mildly, "not really. My whole life is a carnival and it's still going, you know. It gets old sometimes, but there's those times where you're just sitting on the ferris wheel doing nothing."
"That's quite the imagery."
"I'm not all about sex, believe it or not," he told her with a smile. "I do have a soul, too. It's just a little darker than the average person." He winked at her, making her laugh. "But, seriously, did you ever think that your relationship with him now is as shitty as it is because you do still love him?"
"Of course."
"Did you ever think that it was like that because he loves you too?"
"What?" Mai frowned, turning on her side to stare at him. "What do you mean?"
"Let's be logical about this. Would he really bother even fighting with you if he didn't feel anything, too? Guys don't argue with women unless they've got feelings for her. Guys don't argue with you for sex, that's just too much work, and we don't argue if we don't give a damn because then we're not getting anything out of it. We like beating other guys up. Verbal arguments are a waste of time and we hate them."
"Even if he did, he would never take me back..."
"You don't know that. Men take back cheating women all the time. Once a man loves, he rarely stops loving that woman." He reached out and smoothed her furrowed brow with a thumb. "I'm not saying to go confess your undying love for him like in the movies, but you might want to hint at it before he decides to move on entirely. And if you get a good reaction...then go for it. Given your history, it's going to be hard, but why not try it again? If you're going to fight, at least fight and go somewhere rather than sit in the same damn spot the entire time. That gets old."
"I hate that you're right so much," Mai grumbled.
He grinned. "I love rubbing it in."
Mai stirred from the memory and her mouth twisted into a grim smile. Malik had been a wealth of information and advice while they had been meeting each other. As she turned onto one of the roads, she quickly swerved to the side seeing that a taxi looked as though it had been haphazardly whipped around. There as a man hanging out of the taxi from the seat and Mai realized that the front of taxi appeared to be dented, as if a car had hit it. Another man was standing outside the taxi with his phone to his ear, gesturing wildly. Mai pulled over and got out, hurrying to the taxi. "Hello! What's going on? Is an ambulance coming?"
"Yes, yes," an annoyed voice replied. She noticed another car was parked on the other side with a young girl sitting on the sidewalk with a boy near her age, both looking horrified. "Those drunk kids hit the taxi as they came around the corner." Mai frowned, realizing that she recognized the voice. As she walked around to the side of the taxi where the man was, she noticed that he was no longer on the phone and as she moved from the glare of the headlights, she stared at the familiar face. The man, in turn, stared at her, appearing a bit shocked.
"I...didn't know you were back in town," Mai said slowly.
"I was trying to keep it quiet," Yami told her, grimacing. She eyed him carefully. He was worse for wear. His face looked drawn with exhaustion and he appeared a bit thinner than last he had been in Domino and there were dark, noticeable circles beneath his eyes. "I would appreciate if you didn't tell Anzu I was in town yet. It's going to be a few days before I can see her."
"Sneaking back into town, hmm? What'd you do over in Europe?"
He stared at her blankly and then had the grace to look embarrassed. "It's nothing like that," he assured her. "Malik and the boys know that I'm in town, I just need a little time to recuperate from the plane ride. It was an eighteen hour flight, after all."
"Of course," Mai said, nodding. She waited with him as the ambulance and the police came. The paramedics had cautioned Yami that he might feel some pain in his neck, but thankfully had not sent him to the hospital for further treatment. After they released Yami, he collected his things from the trunk of the taxi. "Here," she said, taking out of his suitcases. "I'll drive you home. No need to try and find another taxi." He eyed her and then smiled, nodding. They loaded his things up and then got into her car, driving from the scene of the accident. "Some way to come back into town," Mai remarked. Yami gave a slight smile and nod, but was unwilling to give much more of a response. She peered at him, but fell silent for the remainder of the car ride. He, too, was silent, except to occasionally give directions.
When they arrived at his house, Mai got out and carried one of his suitcases to his door. "Thank you for the ride, Mai," he said, smiling. "It seems you were in the right place at the right time. I appreciate it."
"No problem." As he moved to go inside and shut the door, she called out, "Hey, Yami?" He paused, opening the door a bit wider to look at her. "I know this isn't any of my business really, but...Anzu really likes you and really cares for you and – "
"Mai," Yami interrupted, stepping out of his house, holding a hand as though to ward off her words. "I promise you that I plan on seeing her, but...well, look at me." He laughed slightly, spreading his hands out. "I don't exactly look or feel like a charming gentleman at the moment. Once I get some sleep, trust me, she is the first person that I want to see." His smile tilted down and he quietly said, "It was hard not to go straight to her apartment as soon as I got here...I've missed her more than you can imagine." He cleared his throat and then quickly smiled again. "Anyway. I figured it'd be better to get some rest and not look like such a bum when I see her. It'd leave a bad impression. I was thinking of surprising her at showing up for her recital, actually, instead of Ryou being there. What do you think?"
Mai stared at him and even though his body and face looked exhausted, his eyes were bright when he talked about Anzu and her unease from a moment ago disappeared. She smiled warmly at him.
"I think she'd like that a lot."
